Other Stories
Mich. American Indian Carvings in Danger
The Sanilac Petroglyphs, rare American Indian carvings in rural Michigan about 100 miles north of Detroit, are in need of preservation. They were drawn on soft sandstone and so are vulnerable to weather and to visitors. They are part of the state museum system, and subject to budget cuts.
WHO worried by China's use of flu drug on birds
The World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned that Chinese farmers are using controversial anti-viral drugs on poultry in attempt to stop bird flu. There is a new outbreak of the H5N1 strain of the disease, which can be fatal, in Changji, Xinjiang. If this disease were to mutate it could call a mandate that could kill tens of millions. If the farmers are indeed using amantadine (or other human anti-viral drugs), this could render it useless in fighting human influenza, making the bird flu resistant to it.
Alaska Natives Push for More Toxin Studies
Alaska natives are seeing illness and death in themselves and their animals that previous generations never saw. They want scientific studies into the causes.
Whaling Commission Upholds Killing Ban, Japan loses commercial whaling vote, Anti-whaling states aim to condemn Japan program, FACTBOX-Whale hunters and conservationists battle
The International Whaling Commission voted once again to maintain a moratorium on whaling by 29-23 with 5 abstentions. 75% was needed to lift the ban, which was imposed in 1986. Norway, which defies the ban, and Japan had hoped to see at least a swing in their favour. It remains to be seen how long Japan will abide by the ban; it intends to considerably increase the number of whales it kills for "scientific" purposes. An Australian resolution to condemn Japan's whaling plans was scrapped due to slow progress.
Lions Rescue, Guard Beaten Ethiopian Girl
An Ethiopian 12-year-old girl who was kidnapped and beaten to try and force her into marriage was found being guarded by 3 lions; her captives had apparently fled. It is possible that her crying sounded like a lion cub to the lions. Around 1,000 Ethiopian lions remain in the wild. They are killed for their valuable skins.
Animal Rights Extremism a Priority for FBI
The FBI's top domestic terrorism issue is violence by environmental and animal rights extremists against U.S. drug makers.
Rodents May Be Partly to Blame for Outage
It is possible that rats gnawing through a fiber optic cable were responsible for an outage at New Zealand's Stock Exchange and that disrupted mobile phone and Internet services on Monday. A post-hole digger had severed a second cable. Like electricity grids, modern communications networks are complex and at risk of cascade failure (domino effect).
Climate change plan has setback in U.S. energy bill
Pete Domenici of New Mexico, Republican chairman of the Senate Energy Committee has decided against backing Democrat Jeff Bingaman's plan for an emissions trading program beginning in 2010 to slow the growth of U.S. carbon emissions. He said, "This is just too tough to do quickly".
Agency: EU Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rise, CO2 emissions rise 1.8 percent in 2002/03-EU Agency
The European Environment Agency says that greenhouse gas emissions in the EU rose in 2003, mostly due to coal burning. It now seems unlikely that the EU will meet its emissions reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, but several major initiatives have yet to be in place.
Senate Backs Offshore Energy Inventory
The Senate has voted for an inventory of offshore oil and gas resources. Oppoonents fear this may be a prercusor to drilling, as it includes previously off-limits areas. Environmentalists fear the seismic testing involved would harm wildlife.
Biofuel increasingly competitive if oil surge lasts
The higher oil prices rise, the more competitive biofuels become. If oil prices rise much further, they would start becoming competitive without state subsidies. Ethanol is already competitive in Brazil. Several countries pan on increasing production and use of biofuels -- ethanol and biodiesel.
Sierra Nevada Growth to Bring Congestion
The population of the Sierra Nevada may triple by 2040, creating sprawl, gridlock and pollution. Few places have plans for the population increase or for conservation.
Golf Carts Traveling Onto City Streets
Golf carts are increasingly being driven on roads and sidewalks in downtown Columbus, Ohio and elsewhere. Some states limit them to roads with speed limits up to 35 mph, as they can cause problems in faster traffic; five states ban them from the roads. Cities often add their own limitations. A few places have special paths and parking for them.
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